Collapsible eye glass frame



Dec; 27, 1932. J, GASPAR] 1,892,642

COLLAPS IBLE EYEGLAS S FRAME Filed March 19, 1929 JEEEPHGASPAR:

INVENTOR BY W 4 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 2 7, 1932 unirsn srarss PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH GASPARI, OF NEW YORK, l l'. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. GASPARI & COMPANY, INC., NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPOEATIGN OF NEW YORK COLLAP SIBLE EYE GLASS FRAME Application filed March 19, 1929. Serial No. 843,208.

My invention relates to improvements in eye glasses and particularly to the folding type of mounting in which one lens is swung to a position directly over the other for con venience in carrying, and which is adapted to be placed in a suitable casing or suspended by a cord or chain. 7

This invention has for its object to afford a lens mounting of this character, embodying lens rims pivotally mounted on the ends of a rigid nose or bridge piece and carrying spring members, which are capable of embracing the nose of the wearer at their mid portions to support the eye glasses in position, and which at their free ends yieldably engage notches in the rims themselves to yieldably hold the latter in open and closed positions.

I accomplish this object by means of the embodiment of the invention hereinafter described, set forth in the appended claims and illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, in which, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved lens frames; Figure 2 'is a front elevational View of the same in open posltion; Figure 3 1s also a front elevational view, only the frame is shown folded in accordance with my invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the back of one end of the rigid bridge piece and pivotally carried rim; and Figure 5 is an elevational view of the rear of the frame showing one rim partly closed.

Referring to the drawing, denotes a bridge piece of rigid material, its ends being ofiset sli hty to accommodate the folded positions of the lens rims 11, each of which is pivotally carried on a pintle 12 projecting forwardly of an ear piece 13 on the periphery of the rim 11. The ear piece 13 in each instance is a parabolically shape-d projection arranged radially of the rim at a position midway of the upper and inner quarter of the rim in its position of use. The ear pieces 13 are further arranged on the rearward half of the rim width while the ends of the rigid bridge piece occupy the front half, as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. The side of each ear piece 13 directed downwardly is provided with a notch 14 which forms a tooth 15 coming just beyond the curved outer end of the ear, the wall of the notch 14 projecting below the tooth 15 being directed at a less acute angle than that which characterizes the upper or opposite side of the ear. Below the notch 14; the wall terminates in a pointed projection 16 for the purpose hereinafter described.

Referring now to the rigid bridge piece 10, the latter comprises an are shaped mid portion and angularly disposed shoe portions 17 at the ends. The heel portion 18 of each shoe 17 is an arc of a true circle, and its center is an opening to accommodate the pintle 12 about which the rim is movable. The are of the heel 18 coincides with the curved outer end of the ear piece 13 and at a point in its periphery which corresponds with the position of the notch 1 1 in the ear when the frame is open, is a similar notch 19. From the heel portion 18, the shoe projects outwardly and upwardly to form the toe 20 having an under side adapted to abut and rest against the adj acent arc of the rim 11 to limit the outward position of the rims, and an upper side which is curved and forms a continuation in the opposite direction of the curve of the bridge piece 10.

The rims 11 are yieldably supported in open and closed positions by means of spring members 21, each of which is fixed at its lower end to the rim 11 at a point well below the ear 13 and from its fixed end, the spring projects at a tangent to the rim and terminates in a reverse curved portion 22, the latter being adapted to hug closely to the underside of the ear 13 and its upwardly and outwardly curved tip 23 engaging against the tooth 15 of the ear and corresponding notch portion 19 of the heel 18 to hold the rim open on the bridge piece 10 as illustrated in Figure 1. In open position, the portion of the curve 22 below the tip 23 rests against the projection 16, which it will be noted, is farther from the turning axis of the hinge or pintle pin 12 than is the tooth 15. Therefore, when the rim 11 is being swung to closed position, the point 16 will engage under the curved free end of the spring 21, lifting it outwardly from under the tooth 15, as illustratively exemplified in Figure 5.

The rims when fully closed, carry the springs 21 to the position shown in Figure 3, the same being arranged side by side and between the rims 11 and bridge piece 10.

Temple pieces 24; are hinged at their ends to brackets 25 offset towards the rear and attached to the rims at substantially the outermost points thereof, when the frame is open. in closed position of the rims 11, the brackets 25 are disposed side by side at the lowermost point or diametrically opposite to the position of the bridge piece 10 with respect to the rims l and the temple pieces are swung about their hinges to positions overlying the rear face of rim and lens folded to the rea illustrated in Figure 8.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is:

1. Folding eye glass frames, comprising a fixed at one end to the periphery of the rim, the intermediate portion PYO1OClJ1Dg substai tially t i J01 on, and the free end being curred away from the rim and having its tip .'ielda ly engaging in the notches of the ear and bridge piece to hold the rim in open position. said notches being disposed to coincide in the latter position.

L. fr il. g eye glass frame, comprising a pair o ens rims, each thereof having a radially projecting notched ear portion provided witl'i a high point in the approach to the notch, a rigid bridge piece having its ends notchec and pivotally connected to said ears of the rims whereby the latter fold one over the other to closed position, and spring members for holding the rims open and supporting the frame on the nose of the wearer, each spring being fixed at one end to the rim at the perip thereof and having a midportion project .ig tangentially to the rim to form the nose guard and a reverse curve free end to eno 't the rim in open position, said notches with each other in the 1 position of the rim with respect to the br dge piece, said high point moving with rim to closed position engages the free end of the spring and lifts it free of the notches.

3. A folding eye glass frame as claimed in claim 2, in which the ends of the bridge piece are shoe shaped, the heel portion having the notch d the toe portion projecting outwardly at an angle to form a stop to limit the outward or open position of the rim.

bridge piece and ear portion to yleldably supn 4;. Folding eye glass frames, comprising a rigid bridge piece, lens rims hinged to the ends of the bridge and capable of swinging one over the other in closed position, a flat spring secured at one end to each rim and having an arched midportion spaced from the rim to yieldably engage one side of the wearers nose, the opposite end of the spring being curved outwardly and engaging in the bridge and yieldingly contacting the rim to yieldably hold the latter in open position with respect to the bridge.

A folding eye glass frame, comprising a rigid bridge piece, lens rims hinged to fold over each other and about the ends of the brie ge piece, and separate flat spring pieces carried by the rims and offset inwardly at their midportions to yieldably engage the nose of the wearer and curved outwardly at their free ends to contact with the peripheries of the rims adjacent their hinged connections with the bridge to urge thelatter to their open positions with respect to the bridge.

6. A folding eye glass frame, comprising a rigid bridge piece, lens rims hinged thereto to fold over each other and about the ends of the bridge pi ces, flat spring pieces directed inwardly at their midportions to yieldably engage the nose of the wearer, each spring piece being attached at one end to a rim and to yieldably contact adjacent the other end with the rim and bridge to hold the frame in open position, said rims being provided with means to disengage the free ends of the spring pieces from contact with the rims and bridge as the rims are swung to closed positions.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

Josnrn GASPARI. 

